The Potter Twins: Year Two
by littlegirlwarrior
Summary: Sequel to The Potter Twins: Year One, only this one will be better. Nicki and Sydney Potter are heading back to Hogwarts for their second year, but now their lives will be even more complicated with new teachers, new relationships, and new threats to their lives. Overall, a normal year for these twins.
1. Summer of Bummer

**Hey y'all it's me and I'm back in action with round two of our adventures with Sydney and Nicki. Now if you don't feel like going back to my original story, here's a recap:**

**Sydney Potter: long curly blonde hair, purple eyes, star scar, half-blood, top grades in her class, hates flying, in a relationship with Justin, second year, Gryffindor**

**Nicki Potter: messy brown hair, blue eyes, crescent moon scar, half-blood, seeker for quidditch team, loves pranks, stalked by Malfoy, second year, Gryffindor**

**Justin Granger: dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, muggleborn, second best grades in class, in a relationship with Sydney, used to date Cynthia, second year, Gryffindor**

**Cynthia Grace: long platinum blonde hair, green eyes, pure-blood, used to date Justin, distant cousin of Malfoy, third year, Slytherin**

**Those are just my OC's and y'all know about the other characters. Here we go with The Potter Twins: Year Two**

**Disclaimer- unless I woke up this morning as JK Rowling, I do not own Harry Potter, its characters, or its plot.**

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"This is the third time this week that I have been woken up!" a very ticked off Uncle Vernon roared across the breakfast table. "If you can't control that owl, then it's gone!"

"Hedwig's just bored," the polite, highly-intelligent Sydney Potter explained carefully. "She's used to flying around outside. If we could let her out, just at night-"

"Do I look like an idiot?!" Uncle Vernon snapped back, with a piece of egg hanging off the mustache that lay on his purple face.

Sydney's sarcastic and trouble-making twin sister Nicki opened her mouth to answer her uncle's easy question, but Sydney slapped her hand over the brunette's mouth before she could. Vernon was already in a bad mood and the blonde didn't want to make it any worse.

"I know what'll happen if you let that pigeon out!" Vernon continued, oblivious to the hand covering his niece's mouth.

"Well do you mind sharing it with us, because obviously you know something we don't?" Sydney asked, trying to play the dumb blonde routine.

Vernon was about to shout something back at Sydney about sassing him, but was interrupted by the loud trademark belch of his fat son, the twins' cousin, Dudley. "I want more bacon!" Dudley announced.

Nicki picked up the frying pan filled with bacon, tempted to take one for herself, but instead replied, "What's the magic word?"

The whole Dursley family gasped in fear. Dudley fell off his chair, Aunt Petunia looked like she was going to faint, and Uncle Vernon just looked pissed.

"What?!" Nicki stated, not aware she had just made a mistake. Even a somewhat-rude girl like her knew when to say please and thank you, as Sydney had bugged her about that all her life.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN THIS HOUSE?!" Vernon thundered, spitting all over the table.

"She just meant 'please'-" Sydney protested.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" Vernon interrupted, pounding his fist on the table. "I WILL NOT TOLERATER MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF! UPSTAIRS! NOW!"

The twins rushed up to their room, which had thankfully been moved from the cupboard under the stairs to an old guest room, where they stayed until lunch when they were called down not to eat, but to do chores. Uncle Vernon had a very important business dinner that night and everybody knew the drill: Vernon would compliment and tell jokes, Petunia would serve dinner and act like a perfect hostess, and Dudley would be a little kiss-up while the twins stayed in their room and not make a single peep so the Dursley's could pretend the girls didn't exist.

Sydney and Nicki were painstakingly bored. The second they had gotten back from Hogwarts, their magical school for witches and wizards, which they were, Vernon had taken Sydney's books and scrolls, Nicki's Nimbus 2000 broom, their robes, cauldrons, and wands and locked all of it in the cupboard under the stairs.

"Best birthday ever... Not!" Nicki grumbled, crossing her arms as she sat on her creaky bed with the faded comforter and ripped sheets.

"You just had to say 'magic word' didn't you?!" Sydney snapped.

Nicki looked at her sister in total shock. Normally she was the one with the temper while Sydney was the one who calmed the situation. "You've been spending too much time around our relatives. You're starting to act like them," Nicki stated.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous. We haven't gotten any letters from Ron or Justin or even Hagrid. Do you think they were only nice to us because of our fame?" Sydney anxiously played with her hair, proving how upset she really was.

Nicki got up and went over to sit next to her sister, putting her arm around the blonde. "Hun, Justin is your boyfriend. He wouldn't forget you. Besides, if he did, his parents would have a lot of cosmetic work to do on his teeth."

Sydney chuckled at her twin's threats against her boyfriend. "I just find it odd that they haven't sent us as much as a birthday card. I mean just because we can't owl them doesn't mean they can't contact us."

"Yeah well knowing Uncle Vernon they probably can't. I wouldn't be surprised if he put an invisible electric fence around our window," Nicki joked. Sydney still didn't look reassured though. Nicki couldn't understand how such an intelligent, brave, beautiful, and kind girl like Sydney could be so insecure.

However, their moment was interrupted by Aunt Petunia's nasal voice calling them down to get their dinner, a plate with two pieces of bread and two lumps of cheese. The girls pretty much inhaled their dinner before they were shooed back up the stairs.

"Remember girls...one sound..." Vernon said in a scary calm voice, leaving the rest of his threat open to imagination. The twins nodded and tiptoed up to their room. They were about to fall on to the bed before they noticed that there was already something on it.

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**Well there's the first chapter. I was going to continue up to the part with the car, but I just wanted to get this story out there. Review, no flames please, and if you don't like this chapter, still give the rest of the story a chance.**


	2. Um, the House-Elf Did It

**Hey y'all! Time to meet our fave little house-elf. And time for our little redhead rescue. Oh and thank you to all my viewers, alerters, and favoriters!**

**Disclaimer- IdonotownHarryPotteroranybod yexcpetmyOCs! **_*takes deep breath*_ **Wow that was a mouthful. Now that that's over with, let's get this party started!**

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Nicki and Sydney's mouths hung open in shock as they stared at the little creature bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Sydney and Nicole Potter!" it gasped once it noticed they had entered the room. "What an honor it is!"

Not quite sure what to do, Nicki reached for the closest object, which turned out to be her baseball bat, and gripped it in her hands. "Watch it, buddy! I hit four homeruns with this baby last season! Now, who and/or what are you and how do you know who we are?!" the brunette questioned threateningly.

"More importantly, how did you get in here?" Sydney asked more calmly.

"To answer the first question, Dobby, miss. Dobby the house elf," the little elf replied.

Nicki lowered her bat on to the floor and leaned on it as she grimaced and said, "Well, Dobby, don't mean to be rude here, but, uh, now is not the best time to have a house elf bouncing on our beds, or be in our bedroom."

"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" Dudley offered in a sickeningly-fake-polite tone. Nicki pointed to the inside of her mouth and made a gagging sound.

Sydney smacked her twin in the arm before she turned back to Dobby, whose head hung in sadness. She smiled and kindly apologized, "Don't worry about her, she tends to speak before she thinks. Now, is there a particular reason why you're here?"

"Oh yes, miss," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, misses...it is difficult, misses...Dobby wonders where to begin..."

Petunia's false laugh echoed up from the dining room, interrupting Dobby's stalling.

"Why don't you sit down, Dobby, so we can continue our conversation," Sydney insisted.

Dobby's already-huge eyes widened in horror at the invitation. "Sit down? Sit down?!" The elf started bawling at the top of his lungs. Sydney tried to calm him down, but he just kept bursting into even more tears.

"Oh great! Now you've made him cry! What did you say to him?!" Nicki scolded her sister.

Sydney returned the insult with a look of disbelief before she turned back to the traumatized house elf. "Dobby, I'm sorry! I never meant to offend you or anything."

"Offend Dobby?!" he choked out. "Dobby has heard of your greatness, misses, but Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a witch or wizard- like an equal!" He resumed his hiccoughing.

"Well then I guess you haven't met many decent magical people," Nicki shrugged, still leaning on her baseball bat.

"No, I haven't," Dobby admitted with a smile, but then he realized what he said, gasped in shock, and suddenly began to bang his head on the dresser in self-punishment. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Bad!"

The twins did their best to try and shush the elf, but some of the noise had already travelled downstairs.

"Dobby, why in the name of Merlin did you have to play drums on our dresser? With your head?!" Nicki asked exasperatedly.

"Dobby had to punish himself, miss. Dobby spoke ill of his family."

"Your family?" Sydney questioned.

"The wizard family Dobby serves, miss. House-elves are bound to serve one family forever. If they ever knew Dobby was here..." Dobby shuddered in fear. "But Dobby had to come. Dobby has to protect Sydney and Nicole Potter, to warn them. Sydney and Nicole Potter must not return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"WHAT?!" the sisters exclaimed.

"Dobby, I think you hit your head one too many times," Nicki stated.

"We have to go back!" Sydney cried out. "The term starts on September 1st. I can't miss school! If I miss school, I'll never have an education! And if I don't have an education, I'll never have a career! And if I don't have a career, I'll end up selling fish and chips on the street!" Sydney started pouring tears too.

"There, there," Nicki comforted, patting her twin's back. "There's no need to worry. I've barely gotten an education and I'm doing fine."

Sydney looked at her sister and cried even harder.

"Okay, bad example," Nicki admitted. "But Dobby, we do have to go back to Hogwarts. It's the only place where we fit in. I'm tired of explaining to the muggle kids why Dudley had a pigtail for the first week of school."

"No, no, no! Sydney and Nicole Potter must stay where they are safe. They are too great, too good, to lose. If Sydney and Nicole Potter return to Hogwarts, they will be in mortal danger! There is a plot, misses. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts this year. Sydney and Nicole Potter must not put themselves in peril. They are far too important!"

"It's not Voldemort, is it?" Sydney inquired. Dobby cringed in terror at the name. "Sorry, You-Know-Who."

"Well if it was moldy-Voldy, Dumbledore would be able to stop him," Nicki assured the other two. "You know who Dumbledore is, right?"

"Of course. Everybody knows of the great Albus Dumbledore. But there are powers out there, powers that no decent man, not even-" Dobby froze when he realized he had said too much again. He hopped on to the nightstand and grabbed the lamp to hit himself in the head with it.

"Dobby! Dobby, stop!" Both twins tried to wrench the lamp out of his hands, but stopped when they heard the heavy footsteps of their uncle stomping up the stairs.

"Quick!" Sydney squeeled. The twins managed to grab hold of the lamp and shove Dobby in the closet just as the door opened to reveal a po'd hippo-man in a sweater vest. Nicki and Sydney grinned innocently as he whirled around to face them.

"What. Are. You. Doing?!" Uncle Vernon whisper yelled through clenched teeth. "You brats ruined the punchline of my Japanese golfer joke! One more sound, and you girls will wish you'd never been born!"

"Too late for that," Nicki mumbled to her twin. But she immediately regretted it when Vernon glared at her, causing the brunette to duck behind Sydney.

"One word!" he reminded them, leaving plenty of room for imagination.

Nicki moved back from behind her sister and groaned before she crossed her arms in frustration. "'_You ruined the punchline of my Japanese golfer joke_!'" the brunette mimicked in a baby tone. "Yeah well I've heard that joke and, trust me, I did the Mason's a favor."

"True dat," Sydney agreed, earning a surprised look from her sister for the street talk.

A shaking from behind the closet door interrupted the girls' contemplation.

"Oops. Sorry Dobby," Sydney apologized.

"Now do you see why we have to get the heck outta here?" Nicki whispered. "It's the only place where we have-"

"Or at least feel like we have-" Sydney added.

"Friends," the twins said at the same time.

"Friends who don't even write to Sydney and Nicole Potter," Dobby argued.

Nicki sighed and calmly replied, "Like I was telling my sister earlier, I'm sure that there's a perfectly..." The girl's expression froze as she turned her head toward Dobby, her tone entirely different as she uttered, "Tight-lipped-elf-who-knows-way-too-much-and-should-be-inside-a-cuckoo-clock say what?!" **(AN leave a review if you get the reference in the quote)**

"Have you been stopping our letters?!" Sydney questioned angrily.

"Dobby has them here, misses," the elf admitted, pulling a pile of envelopes out from under his, um, shirt. The twins recognized the handwriting of Justin, Ron, and even Hagrid. "Sydney and Nicole Potter mustn't be angry...Dobby hoped...if Sydney and Nicole Potter thought their friends had forgotten them...misses might not want to go back to school."

But the girls had stopped listening. "You go for the letters, I'll go for the head!" Nicki ordered. They both jumped at Dobby, but he managed to escape their grabs by hopping out of reach.

"Sydney and Nicole Potter will have them, if they give Dobby their word that they won't return to Hogwarts."

"No!" the sisters cried out at the same time.

"Now give us back the letters!" Sydney commanded.

"Then Sydney and Nicole Potter leave Dobby no choice," Dobby admitted in regret. He ran over to the door, flung it open, and hurried down the stairs. The twins looked at each other in panic and sprinted after the elf.

Dobby stopped right in front of the kitchen and Aunt Petunia's pudding caught his eye. Sydney recognized that mischevious twinkle (she had seen it in Nicki's eyes hundreds of times) and whispered, "Dobby! Get back here!"

Dobby shook his head in disobedience.

"Dobby, please!" Nicki begged.

"Sydney and Nicole Potter must promise not to return to school!" Dobby threatened.

"We-we can't! Hogwarts is our home," Sydney pleaded.

"Then Dobby must do it, misses, for Sydney and Nicole Potter's own good." The elf snapped his fingers and the pudding started floating mid-air over toward the guests in the living room.

The twins shoved the house-elf to the side and raced into the other room, trying to catch the dessert without drawing attention to themselves. Unfortunately, the way their hands were held made it look like they were controlling the magic. The Dursley's eyes widened as the pudding floated above the Mason's. Dobby smirked as he snapped his fingers again and the dessert dropped on Mrs. Mason's head.

"I'm so sorry," Uncle Vernon fake-cried. "It's my nieces! They're disturbed! Meeting strangers upsets them. It's why I kept them upstairs."

"Disturbed?!" Nicki exclaimed. "Why I outta-"

"Nick, look," Sydney interrupted, holding back her ticked off sister and pointing to the hallway. They both looked and saw Dobby snap his fingers one more time to fade away.

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The Mason's left, the deal totally ruined, just before an owl flew in through the window with a letter from the Ministry of Magic. The letter claimed that a hover-charm was detected in the house and reminded them that underage magic was not allowed outside of school.

"You never told us you weren't allowed to use magic outside of school!" Vernon sneered.

"Slipped our minds?" Sydney tried to insist.

"Well from now on, you two are going to be locked in your room! And you're not going back to that school either! They'll expel you anyway if you try to magic yourself out!"

"I've never really been one to follow the rules, so don't be surprised if you wake up tomorrow morning as fruit bats," Nicki lied with a Slytherin grin on her face.

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"You had to throw in the fruit bats thing," Sydney grumbled to her twin three days later.

Uncle Vernon had gotten so mad that he installed six locks on the girls' bedroom door and put bars over their window.

"I'm getting a flashback of my juvie days," Nicki complained.

Sydney frowned in confusion. "You've never been to juvie."

"Yeah, well, I've gotten pretty close." The brunette shuddered. "Kindergarten time-outs in the play-pen! The horror!"

"I know something even more horrifying," Sydney said.

"What? Voldemort? Malfoy? Snape in a dress?" Both girls shivered in terror at the last one.

"No, well, yes, all of the above. But I was thinking more of NOT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!" Sydney grabbed her sister's shoulders and shook them hard. "I need to go back to Hogwarts! Without homework, my life has no meaning!"

"Ok...looks like somebody poured an extra cup of crazy in her cereal this morning," Nicki replied as she gently pulled the blonde's arms off her shoulders.

Sydney took a deep breath to calm down. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Time in the slammer can do that to a twelve year old girl."

"We're not in jail, need I remind you."

"Then why do we have visitors outside our bars?" Nicki asked, pointing to the three redhead boys waving from a floating car outside.

"Ron! Fred! George!" Sydney cried out in joy.

"Aw man, I was hoping it was the pizza guy," Nicki fake-whined.

"Do you want us to break you out or what?!" Fred called out from the driver's seat of the car.

"Heck yes we want you to break us out!" Sydney shouted.

"Did I eat some crazy too or did my by-the-rules, goody-goody twin sister just suggest what I think she suggested?"

"She did," the Weasley boys all said at the same time.

"Weird..." Nicki said pensively while tapping her chin with her finger. "Now, back to the jailbreak."

"Wait, what about our wands and school supplies? They're still in the cabinet under the stairs," Sydney reminded them.

"Oh I can take care of that," Nicki answered. "Syd, can I borrow a hair pin?" Sydney furrowed her brow but handed the brunette a bobby pin. Nicki walked over to the bedroom door and, just like in the muggle movies, unlocked the door.

"Why didn't you do that hours ago?!" Sydney yelled.

"Maybe I was enjoying the quality sister time," Nicki said as she crossed her arms in unappreciation. The blonde glared at her. "Ok maybe I forgot I knew how to do that," she admitted.

The twins rushed down and unlocked the cupboard door to quietly retrieve their stuff.

The gingers hooked a rope to the bars, turned the car around, and pushed down on the accelerator. The bars snapped off and the girls rushed to load their belongings into the trunk. But, unfortunately, the noise was heard in the master bedroom. Vernon ran down the hall to the twins' room and pulled out a massive key-ring.

"POTTER!" they heard his voice echo from outside the door.

"Come on guys! Hurry up!" Ron called out from the passenger seat.

Nicki grabbed Hedwig's cage and passed the snowy owl to Ron and got in the car just as the bedroom door swung open. Vernon raced over, as fast as he could considering her was a fat man.

"Petunia, they're escaping!" he hollered to his wife who was standing right behind him, holding on to Dudley.

"Let go of me!" Sydney yelled as her uncle jerked on her leg, trying to pull her out of the car.

"Hands off my sister!" Nicki shouted, grabbing on to Vernon's hands and trying to rip them off Sydney's leg.

"Never! You two and that blasted pigeon aren't going anywhere!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it! Floor it, Fred!" the brunette ordered. The redhead twin nodded and pushed hard on the gas. Nicki swung her leg out and kicked up under Vernon's massive chin, the combination of the acceleration and the force of the kick causing the man to lose his grip on Sydney and fall out the two-story window into the bushes below.

Petunia shrieked and Dudley freaked out as they ran to the window to see Vernon lying flat down on the ground.

"VERNON!"

"DAD!"

Vernon managed to stand up but he stared after the flying car in total disbelief.

As Sydney and Nicki looked down at their uncle, they busted out laughing.

"I still can't believe you kicked Uncle Vernon square in the jaw!" Sydney exclaimed between giggles.

"I can't believe I didn't do that sooner! I've been wanting to knock him upside the head for years!" Nicki wheezed, out of breath from laughing for five minutes straight.

"Oh, by the way, Syd, Nick, happy birthday!" Ron said happily.

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**So, what'd ya think. As I'm finishing this, I'm on a plane from Denver to Atlanta, coming back from spring break. I had to pay $10 for an hour and a half of in-air wifi! How dumb is that?! But at least it gave me time to finish the chapter. See y'all as soon as possible. Don't forget to review!**


	3. An Unfortunate Encounter

**Hey y'all! Sorry it's taken so long. With cheer tryouts, which I dominated AGAIN, tests, dance practices, being sick, and the end-of-the-school-year cram, I couldn't update. But here it is!**

**Disclaimer: the previous word says it all**

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The whole ride long, Nicki and Sydney stared out the windows while the Weasley's talked. Mr. Weasley was in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office in the Ministry of Magic, but he liked bringing home some of the muggle objects so he could take them apart and reassemble them to figure out how they worked.

The Potter's told them about the encounter with Dobby, but the redheads didn't seem at all worried. "House elves belong to rich purebloods with manors and traditional ideas. This might even be Draco Malfoy's idea of a prank to either keeps Syd out of school or win over Nick's heart," Ron stated.

"Draco Malfoy?" Fred asked anxiously. "As in son of Lucius Malfoy?!"

"Probably. I highly doubt there are that many snarky gelled heads in the world," Nicki replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.

"I heard Dad bring up his name just last week. He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who, but he denied it all after You-Know-Who disappeared," George added.

"I'm glad we came to get you anyway," said Ron. "Mum and Dad said if we didn't hear from you by Friday, they would go pick you up themselves..."

Ron continued speaking, but Sydney and Nicki stopped listening when Fred said that they were almost there. Outside, just over a hill, a few miles away from a muggle village, sat a several story high crooked farmhouse with multiple chimneys connected to a pigpen and a tumbledown garage with a small yard.

"Welcome to the Burrow!" Ron responded. "It's not much-"

"It's wonderful!" Sydney exclaimed, thinking of the unoriginal and plain Privet Drive.

Fred parked the car next to the garage and the five of them piled out.

"Okay, come on," George whispered as they snuck in through the kitchen door. The boys took off their jackets to quietly hang them up while Sydney and Nicki took a quick look at all the magic going on in the kitchen. A pot was scrubbing itself clean in the sink while knitting needles were magically knitting a colorful blanket on their own. While Ron and the Weasley twins stole some breakfast rolls from the table, something else caught the girls' attention.

"Nicki, look!" Sydney whispered excitedly. Nicki walked over to her sister and saw what looked like a regular grandfather clock, but was much better. There were nine hands on it, one for each member of the Weasley family, and where there would normally be numbers instead were the names of different locations such as school, work, home, etc. Nicki watched as Fred, George, and Ron's pictures moved from lost to home.

"Like I said," Ron continued with food in his mouth. "It's not much, but it's home."

"It's awesome!" Nicki grinned.

They heard sudden thumping of footsteps. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" an angry Mrs. Weasley yelled. The red-haired boys looked down at the rolls in their hands and hid them behind their backs before she could give them an extra lecture on 'ruining their breakfast'. "Sydney, Nicole, how wonderful to see you again!" Mrs. Weasley smiled and said in a friendly tone before she switched back to 'mama bear' mode. "BEDS EMPTY! NO NOTE! CAR GONE! YOU COULD HAVE DIED, YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SEEN! Of course I don't blame you girls."

"Wait, we're not getting blamed? We're not in trouble?" Nicki asked in disbelief. "I love this place!"

"They were being starved, Mum! There were bars on their window!" Ron argued.

"Well you best hope I don't put bars on your window, Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley threatened with a pointed finger. "Come on, ladies. Time for a spot of breakfast."

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Nicki and Sydney felt like they had died and gone to food heaven. Mrs. Weasley was an incredible cook, and she insisted that the two sisters deserved extra portions to make up for their lack of food since June. Percy had woken up and joined the others also.

"Mum? Mummy? Have you seen my jumper?" Ginny questioned sweetly as she came down the stairs.

"Yes dear, it's on the cat," Mrs. Weasley answered as if it was a normal occurrence.

Ginny froze when she saw the Potter twins sitting at the table.

"Hello!" Sydney greeted in a friendly voice and smile

"What's up?" Nicki said with a equally friendly grin.

Ginny backed up silently before she raced back up the stairs.

"Well that was awkward," Nicki responded.

"Did we say something wrong?" Sydney asked Ron.

"Ginny. She's been talking 'bout you all summer. Bit annoying, really."

"MORNING WEASLEY'S!" Mr. Weasley hollered as he came in from outside, the bags he was carrying showing that he had been out since at least the day before.

A chorus of "Morning" came from the other five Weasley's in the kitchen.

"What a night! Nine raids! Nine!" Mr. Weasley cried. He sat down at the table and noticed the two unfamiliar girls, giving them a look of pure confusion. "And who are you?"

"Oh, my apologies, sir. I'm Sydney Potter, and this is my sister Nicki."

"Potter? Are you really?!"

The twins nodded nervously.

"Ah, Ron's talked about you, of course. When did you two arrive?" Mr. Weasley asked as he started cutting up his eggs.

"This morning," Mrs. Weasley answered with her hands on her hips. "Your sons flew that enchanted car of yours to Surrey and back last night."

"Did you really? How did it go-Ow! I mean, that was very wrong, indeed, boys! Very wrong!" Mr. Weasley scolded, even though everyone knew he was far more interested in the car than doing the fatherly thing and punishing his sons.

Nicki chuckled to herself at the man's fear of his wife.

"Sydney, Nicki, you must know about muggles," Mr. Weasley deduced. "Tell me...what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?" The girls thought he was joking until they saw the serious look on his face.

"Um, well, it's used for, uh..." A sudden squeeling of an owl in the distance interrupted Sydney's attempt to answer the unusual question that she had actually never thought about before.

"That'll be Errol with the post," Mrs. Weasley stated.

The old owl was doing fine until he flew straight into the glass window. Those sitting at the table all winced in pain as they watched the crash.

"Go fetch the mail, will you Percy?" Mrs. Weasley requested.

The oldest of the children at the table stood up and took the mail from the dizzy owl's beak.

"Oh look, it's our Hogwarts letters. They've sent us Sydney and Nicki's, as well."

"Dumbledore must know you're here," said Mr. Weasley. "Doesn't miss a trick, that man."

"This lot won't come cheap, Mum," one of the Weasley twins reported. "The spellbooks alone are very expensive."

"We'll manage," their mother replied as she took one of the girls' letters to take a look at the supply list. "There's only one place we're gonna get all this... Diagon Alley."

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After breakfast was finished, the Weasley's and the Potter's put on their cloaks and got ready to go to Diagon Alley. However, instead of going out the door, they all stood in front of the fireplace.

Mrs. Weasley took what looked like a flower pot off of the mantle and said, "All right, girls. Now, you two go first."

"But Syd and Nick have never travelled by floo powder before, Mum," Ron interrupted.

"Floo powder?" the twins questioned, proving their lack of knowledge on the subject.

"Oh well you go first Ron so they can see how it's done," Mrs. Weasley urged quickly.

Ron stepped into the fireplace and took a handful of the dirt-like powder in the pot. Mrs. Weasley streched out her arm and pushed everybody a few feet away from the fireplace.

"DIAGON ALLEY!" Ron shouted in a loud voice before he threw the dust on to the ground. Sudden green flames engulfed Ron and the girls stepped back another foot or so in shock. When the fire extinguished, Ron was gone.

"You see, it's quite easy, dears. Now come here." The sisters unsurely stepped into the fireplace. "That's it. In you go." Once inside, Mrs. Weasley instructed, "Now take your floo powder. Very good. Don't forget to speak very VERY clearly." Once again, the family of gingers stepped away from the fireplace.

"DIAGON ALLEY!" the twins cried out together, holding hands so they would go to the same place. But what they said sounded more like 'Diagonelley' instead of 'Diagon Alley'. The green flames burst out and the girls were gone. Unfortunately, where they had gone to, nobody could be sure.

_*(Knockturn Alley)*_

Sydney and Nicki fell out of a fireplace, but it didn't look like Diagon Alley where they landed. It was far too dark and spooky to be Diagon Alley.

"Syd, by any chance, is there more than one magical place named Diagon Alley that may mean something like 'Creeps R Us' in another language?" the brunette inquired anxiously.

"I don't think so," the blonde answered in an equally scared voice. "Let's just take a look around and see if we can find anybody who'll help us."

"Yeah right! Like anybody who shops here would help defenseless children! 'Oh I'll help you. Just get into my van.' Sydney, I've seen this movie! And we don't make it to the sequel!"

Sydney groaned and rolled her eyes before she started wandering through the shop. Suddenly, a dislocated skeleton hand snapped its hold around Sydney's wrist. "Nicki! Nicki help me!" she called out in a quiet but loud enough voice. Nicki rushed over to help her sister break free from the grabby hand. Suddenly, an all-too-familiar head of platinum blonde hair looked into the store's window, from which there was a plain view of the twins. "Nick, hurry! It's Malfoy!" Sydney rushed.

"Oh crap!" Nicki squeaked as she glanced toward the window. She jumped behind the other girl, knowing that Malfoy would recognize her gace in two seconds flat, even though she and Sydney had gone through a few changes that summer. Nicki managed to snap the hand's wrist and the twins ran and jumped inside what looked like a coffin.

Sydney closed the cover of the coffin just as Malfoy stepped into the store with a curious look on his face. He started to inspect a small black statuette when a taller man with the same colored hair, only much longer, and a black robe snapped his black snake-headed cane down on Malfoy's hand.

"Don't touch anything, Draco!" the man ordered in a cold, clipped tone.

"Yes Father," Malfoy responded obediently.

The twins continued to watch the two Malfoy's through the eyeholes of the coffin.

"Mister Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again!" the sketchy storekeeper greeted. "And young Master Malfoy, too. Delighted. I have something for you today at a very reasonable price-"

"I'm not buying today, Mister Borgin, I'm selling," the blonde interrupted.

"Selling?" the other man said.

"Yes. Draco."

Malfoy walked over to his father and placed an ornate black box on the counter before he went back to wandering around the shop.

"You are aware, no doubt, that the Ministry of Magic is conducting more raids on private houses," Mr. Malfoy stated. "Part of a new 'Muggle Protection Act'. I brought a few items from home that might prove...embarassing to me with the Ministry's new law."

Mr. Borgin looked through the pieces in the box, but his eyes widened at one in particular that the girls could not see from their visual point.

"That particular item is not for sale," Mr. Malfoy cut in.

The sisters tried to listen in, hoping that one of the men would say what the object was out loud, but they were distracted when Malfoy started poking around at the coffin they were hiding in. Fortunately, his dad hit the cane on the coffin and said, "What did I say, Draco?"

"Touch nothing."

"Exactly!"

"Sorry Father."

"Hmph. I am hoping my son will amount to more than a thief or plunderer, but if his grades do not pick up, that may indeed be all he is fit for."

"It's not my fault!" Draco retorted. "The teachers all favorite that Sydney Potter and her boyfriend, Justin Granger!"

"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a half-blood and a boy of no wizard family beat you in every exam."

Nicki wanted to leap out of that coffin and shove that stick up his...(well, you get the picture).

Mr. Malfoy removed his cane from the coffin. "Come along, Draco," he ordered.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mister Malfoy," the storekeeper said, his voice oozing with false sincerity. "Always a pleasure."

The moment the two blonde aristocrats left the shop, Mr. Borgin's fake smile turned into a scowl as he retreated into the back room.

The twins cautiously stepped out of the coffin. "Well, now we see where Malfoy gets his charm and personality!" Nicki said with upbeat sarcasm.

"If that's what his father's like, I would hate to meet his mother," Sydney responded. "Now stop wasting time and let's get out of here before Mister Borgin returns!"

The two girls rushed out of the shop, careful not to ring the bell on the door. Outside was like a dark alley in a big city, only a hundred times worse because the people here were creepy, threatening, and had magical powers.

"Not lost are you, dearies?" a woman cackled, her appearance just like a stereotypical witch in stories like Hansel and Gretel.

"N-no ma'am," Sydney stuttered. "We're just trying to get back to Diagon Alley."

"Oh listen, I think I hear our friends calling us now. Coming! See ya!" Nicki lied, willing to do anything to get away.

More dark witches and wizards crowded around the sisters. "Don't worry...we'll help you find your way back," the witch insisted.

"SYDNEY! NICKI! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?!" a familiar gruff voice boomed. The twins looked up to Hagrid standing at the top of a small staircase into the alley.

"HAGRID!" they cheered in relief as the frightened dark magicians scattered away from the big man.

"Yer a mess, girls. Skulkin' 'round Knockturn Alley?! Dodgy place! Don' want no one ter see you there. People already think Nicki's always up to no good, but you don' want them ta think that 'bout you, too, Syd," Hagrid lectured as he led the two of them out of Knockturn Alley into Diagon Alley.

Sydney sighed in guilt and worry. "We were lost Hagrid."

"Wait!" Nicki interrupted. "What were you doing down there, Hagrid?"

"Me? Oh, I was...um...I was lookin' for Flesh-Eatin' Slug repellent. They're ruinin' all the school cabbages." Hagrid nervously looked everywhere except at the girls.

"Syd! Nick! Hagrid!" a boy with dirty blonde hair hollered. They all turned around as he ran over to the group.

"Hello, Justin!" Hagrid said with a grin.

"It's great to see you!" Justin responded excitedly. "Especially you, Sydney!"

Sydney glanced down and blushed.

"Well it's nice to see you too, Prettyboy," Nicki teased.

"Really?" Justin said in surprise.

"Duh!" the brunette answered. "Without you, I've had nobody to mock all summer except for Syd, and she's no fun to make fun of!"

Sydney slapped her twin in the stomach, earning an ouch of pain.

Hagrid laughed jovially. "You'll be all right now then, girls? Right. I'll leave you to it, then."

"Ok! Bye!"

"Thanks again, Hagrid! Goodbye!" Sydney called out as she waved goodbye.

"Come on!" Justin replied as he grabbed their hands. "Everyone's been so worried."

*(*(

Justin pulled the sisters into a very crowded Flourish and Blotts.

"Oh, girls! Thank goodness!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she rapidly brushed the soot and cinders off of the messy girls. "We'd hoped you'd only gone one grate too far-"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MISTER GILDEROY LOCKHART!" a loud voice announced.

A tall blonde man with a cocky, pearly white smile and expensive looking robes stepped out from behind a curtain to greet his "adoring fans".

"Ah! Here he is!" Mrs. Weasley whispered lovingly as she started primping her hair.

"Mum fancies him," Ron admitted to the twins, earning a slap from his mother just like the one Sydney gave Nicki just minutes before.

A photographer for the Daily Prophet newspaper pushed past the Weasley family. As Mr. Lockhart posed for the pictures, his eyes fell on the two twelve-year-old witches. "It can't be! The Potter Twins?!"

"The Potter Twins!" the wizard with the camera repeated. He grabbed Sydney's arm, who in turn grabbed Nicki's arm, and they were both thrown over to the side of their future Defense-Against-the-Dark-Arts teacher.

Mr. Lockhart's arms wrapped around the twins' shoulders immediately. "Smile, ladies! Together, the three of us rate the front page!"

The camera flashed with an almost blinding light. Sydney's smile was small and almost shy, which was understandable since she had been caught off guard by the sudden spotlight. Nicki's face remained neutral, but the mysterious look on her face made her look just as pretty as Sydney with her smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is!" Mr. Lockhart continued, this time more to the crowd. "When young Sydney and Nicole stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, 'Magical Me', which incidentally is currently celebrating its twenty seventh week atop the Daily Prophet bestseller list..."

Nicki rolled her eyes as the man continued to talk about himself, the hand at her side making a 'blah, blah blah, blah blah' motion. Sydney held her hand over her mouth to hide her giggle. Up above on the next floor, Draco Malfoy watched resentfully, smirking though when he saw Nicki's reaction.

"They had no idea that they would, in fact, be leaving...with my entire collected works, free of charge!"

A man who worked in the store came over carrying two huge stacks of books and Mr. Lockhart picked them up from the man's hands and dropped the books into the girls' arms. The twins almost fell over from the unexpected weight. Sydney beamed at the new books for her to read, but Nicki frowned as she thought, "_Well these things are going right where they belong...in the garbage!"_

Just as roughly as they were forced into the picture, the famous Potter Twins were shoved out of the way.

"Girls, now you give me those," Mrs. Weasley insisted as she took the books from them. "And I'll get them signed. All of you wait outside. That's it, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley wormed her way up toward the front of the line with all the other female admirers.

As the twins, Justin, Ron, and Ginny made their way toward the exit, Malfoy blocked them as he came from the bottom of the stairs. "I'll bet you loved that, didn't you Potter?!" he retorted, aiming more at Sydney than Nicki. "The Famous Potter Twins! Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page!"

"Leave them alone!" Ginny said in a quiet but brave voice as she stepped in front of her idols.

"Oh look, Potter, you've got yourself a fan!" Malfoy jeered.

A silver snake ornament landed on Malfoy's shoulder and his sadistic smirk immediately dropped. His father firmly moved the boy to the side. "Now, now, Draco, play nicely," Mr. Malfoy chided. "Miss Potter and Miss Potter...Lucius Malfoy," he introduced as he held out his hand to the girls.

Sydney took it weakly, her hand wavering in fear.

"We meet at last." Mr. Malfoy moved his hand over to Nicki, who glared at it in return. After a moment, her eyes looked up to glare at his face instead. Mr. Malfoy raised an eyebrow at the brunette's rudeness, but he let it slide.

"Forgive me," he falsely apologized as he pulled the two sisters closer and used his cane to brush the hair covering their scars aside. "Your scars are legends, as , of course, is the wizard who gave them to you."

"Voldemort killed our parents," Sydney replied sharply as her Gryffindor courage returned to her.

"He was nothing more than a murderer," Nicki added as she wrenched her shoulder out of his grasp, not even trying to mask her hatred for the man.

"Hmm. You are exactly as Draco described, Nicole. Perhaps you should have been placed in Slytherin. But, you, Sydney, must be very brave to mention his name...or very foolish."

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself!" Justin defended as he stepped up and wrapped his arm protectively around his girlfriend.

"And you must be...Mister Granger," Mr. Malfoy said, looking behind to Malfoy for assurance. "Yes, Draco's mentioned you, and your parents. Muggles, aren't they?" he asked rhetorically. Justin glanced back at his parents, who were talking to Mr. Weasley, dressed in jeans and sweaters just like any normal muggle adults. Mr. Malfoy's face and tone were clear of emotion, but the twins saw the disgust in his eyes.

"Let me see..." Mr. Malfoy continued, bringing back their attention. "Red hair, vacant expressions, tatty second-hand book...you must be the Weasley's." Mr. Malfoy picked up the tattered book from Ginny's cauldron.

Nicki clenched her fists, almost willing to go to Azkaban if it just meant she would never have to see him or listen to his insults ever again.

"Children, it's mad in here! Let's go outside," Mr. Weasley suggested as he joined the group, pretending to be oblivious to the prejudicial pure-blood in front of the door.

"Well, well, well, Weasley senior," said Mr. Malfoy distastefully.

"Lucius," Mr. Weasley greeted back, his tone equally bitter.

"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur, all those extra raids? I do hope they're paying you overtime, but judging by the state of this, I'd say not. What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

"Clearly. Associating with muggles...and I thought your family sink no lower." Mr. Malfoy dropped Ginny's book back into her cauldron, nobody noticing that there was now more than just one book now. "I'll see you at work." He turned on his heel and left the store.

"I'll see you at school," Malfoy sneered before he flirtatiously cocked his eyebrow at Nicki and followed his father.

"Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!" Nicki yelled as she violently started to run after them. Fortunately, she was held back by Sydney, Justin, and Ron. If there was this much trouble already, this would be a long school year.

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**Woohoo! Chapter three is done and it's time for a little action. Review!**


	4. A Very Painful Experience

**Hey y'all! I'm gonna skip the blabbering and get these kids back to school already (ironically, I just got out of school. Does this mean I miss it...nah!)**

**Disclaimer: for the last time, I AM NOT JK ROWLING!**

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"Let's see: school robes, sweaters, casual clothes, pajamas, wand, books, parchment, quills, cauldron..." Sydney counted off the items in her trunk. "Is there anything I'm forgetting?"

"Yeah," Nicki said as she swung her legs off Sydney's bed where she had been lounging. "A forklift to carry it all to the platform. Cuz you're gonna need one at this rate."

"Har dee har har," Sydney laughed sarcastically. "Don't you have some packing of your own to do? I'm not doing it for you again this year."

"Fyi I already did my packing, Miss Smarty Pants."

Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and gave her twin a knowing look. "You just shoved it all in there and sat on it, didn't you?"

"What's your point?" Nicki asked bluntly.

"Oi!" Sydney exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

"Hey!" Ron popped his head into the room. "You girls ready to go?"

"Shoosh yeah!" Nicki answered enthusiastically** (AN this comes from iCarly, Sam uses it several times and I figured it's appropriate considering how alike Sam and Nicki are)**.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Nicki Potter would actually be excited to go back to school," Ron thought out loud.

"I know...I'm so proud!" Sydney cheered. "Let me just savor this moment," the blonde continued in an emotional voice, putting one hand over her heart dramatically.

"Why don't you just take a picture?! It'll last longer!" Nicki snapped at the two observers.

"Sorry!"

Nicki threw her arms down. "Now you've made me lose my good mood! Can we go already?!"

"Sounds like someone's a little-"

"Don't start with me!" Nicki cut off threateningly. Ron and Sydney stepped away. Nicki grinned as she watched them back away in fear.

*(*(

Other than Mr. Weasley magically expanding the inside of the enchanted car to fit nine people, seven trunks, and two owls, the trip to the Kings Cross train station was pretty uneventful. After they made it to the station, however, was another story.

After having to go back to the Burrow for some forgotten items - three times - they only had fifteen minutes to get on to Platform 9 3/4. Just like the last time, Percy went through the wall between Platforms 9 and 10 first, followed by Fred and George. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took hold of Ginny's cart and all three of them ran through together. Ron agreed to go next, then Nicki, then Sydney. This is where things got weird.

"Ready, set, go!" Ron called out as he and the girls charged at the wall. But instead of popping out on the other side, they ran straight into solid wall.

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

"Ow!"

The three students were sprawled out across the floor, carts and trunks spread everywhere. Muggle bystanders stared at the kids in both confusion and shock.

"Oi! What are you kids doing?!" a guard hollered at them.

Nicki laughed nervously before she came up with an idea. "Eddie, I told you that racing on carts was not a good idea! Now look what you did!" She pretended to scold Ron while wagging her finger at him, embracing her inner Mrs. Weasley.

Seeing that the three children were twelve at the oldest, the Muggles watching accepted Nicki's excuse and went on with their business.

"What happened?" Ron whispered.

"A wall said hello to us, that's what happened!" Nicki whispered back sarcastically.

"Nicki," Sydney said in a parental tone. "Think of your happy place."

Nicki stared off into the distance as a smile formed on her face.

"Good girl," Sydney replied. "Now, I still don't understand what could have happened. We still had two minutes before the train left. Why would the entrance be blocked off?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that even if the barrier hadn't closed on us, we now have no chance of reaching the platform. Look." Ron pointed to the giant clock hanging above them as the hand ticked toward eleven o'clock.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

It was official. The Hogwarts Express was leaving and they weren't on it. Sydney, Nicki, and Ron sat in sad silence.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do," Nicki spoke up, smirking deviously as her blue eyes twinkled mischieviously.

"Oh no," Sydney stated, shaking her head firmly as she picked up on her twin's plan. "No. No. No. A million times no! There is no way I am letting you do this."

*(*(

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Sydney muttered angrily as she slouched in the backseat of the Weasleys' flying car with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Admit it, Syd, I know all your weaknesses, and the fear of missing school is one of them," Nicki gloated as she looked at her sister from her spot in the passenger seat.

"Oh shut up," the blonde snapped grumpily.

The brunette grinned victoriously before she looked over to Ron, who had insisted on driving.

"All right then. Let's get this thing going before we miss the Sorting and the welcoming banquet." Ron turned the keys and pushed down on the accelerator.

The car flew up into the sky, unfortunately catching the eyes of several muggles.

The twins looked out the window anxiously, aware of the fact that they were flying over one of the busiest spots in the country.

"Um, Ron?" Sydney murmured nervously.

"Yeah?"

"There's one little detail that we should probably mention."

"What?"

"Muggles aren't exactly used to seeing flying cars."

"Oh." The redhead pushed down on a switch and the car turned invisible, but not before it caught the attention of at least a half a dozen muggles.

From that point on, Ron kept the car high in the sky while the girls watched for the train below.

After a while, Nicki suddenly cried out, "There! I see the tracks! Ron, go lower!"

Ron lowered the car until they were practically driving on the train tracks. It was then that the invisibility wore off.

"Oh no! The invisibility booster must be faulty!" Ron exclaimed, pushing the switch, but to no avail.

"Uh, guys... I don't think we should be flying this low," Sydney stuttered in a scared voice from the backseat.

"Why?" Ron and Nicki asked together, looking back at the girl.

"That's why." Sydney pointed straight forward and the other two turned back around. The Hogwarts Express was heading straight for them. Even Hedwig's eyes widened at the sight.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the three kids screamed together. Ron jerked the wheel to the right, moving the car out of the way just in time, but also throwing it entirely off balance. The sudden force lurched the car to the side, causing Nicki's door to whip open and her to fall out.

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Nicki shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"HOLD ON, NICK!" Ron shouted from the driver's seat.

Nicki stopped yelling and just looked at Ron with one raised eyebrow as if saying, "_Really?!"_

Sydney rolled her eyes at the two of them before she climbed forward and reached her arm out to grab her sister. The blonde managed to pull her twin into the car before they lost sight of the train.

"Let's see: make new friends/enemies, deal with Malfoy, almost die... school hasn't even started yet and we're already ahead of schedule," Nicki joked once she was safely back in the car. The other two laughed as they followed the Hogwarts Express to its destination.

*(*(

It was nightfall by the time the castle was in sight. Sydney, Nicki, and Ron beamed as they got closer and closer to what they felt was home.

However, the moment was ruined when they suddenly heard a lound noise coming from the hood of the car. The car flew out of control, circling around the towers and not complying to any of Ron's actions.

The three screamed again as the enchanted car took them for a rollar coaster ride around Hogwarts.

Ron tried using his wand to stop or slow the car, but he ended up snapping the wood in half. His facial expression was a mix of panic and pure horror.

"RON, WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Sydney cried out.

But Ron no longer had control of the car. It now had a mind of its own, but obviously not a smart one because it flew straight into the infamous Whomping Willow.

"My wand," Ron squeaked after the car stopped moving. "Look at my wand."

"Surely we can mend it," Sydney insisted in a comforting tone. "We just need-"

She was interrupted by a growling and groaning from below them. The tree was alive! The branches slammed into the sides of the car, broke through the windows, and shattered the glass.

"WE ARE NOT A PIÑATA!" Nicki shouted at the tree, even though it couldn't possibly understand her.

Ironically, just after Nicki said that, the tree branch hit the back of the car and it tumbled out of the tree on to the ground. But the Whomping Willow wasn't done just yet. It awung backwards, preparing to crush the car and its occupants all the way to New Zealand **(AN which in case you don't know is on the opposite end of the world as the British Isles).**

"STEP ON IT!" Sydney ordered.

Ron complied and floored the accelerator. Thankfully, the car obeyed this time, narrowly avoiding being squashed into a pulp.

The three kids were about to celebrate when they got tossed out of the car...literally. The doors opened on their own and the kids and their bags were hurled out. Once they got their footing, out came Hedwig's cage and Scabber's box.

The car sped off down the corridors and past Hagrid's hut, driving off into the unknown.

"That is why, in the muggle world, you have to be at least sixteen to drive a car," Sydney stated, making a subtle jibe at Ron's driving.

"Dad's gonna kill me," Ron muttered, too worried about the car to absorb what Sydney had said.

Nicki heard footsteps and whipped her head around, terrified to see who it was.

"I don't think he's the only one," Nicki said as she tapped the other two on the shoulders.

*(*(

A few minutes later, Ron and the twins found themselves in Professor Dumbledore's office. They had been found by Professor Snape, who was currently upset that, since he wasn't their Head of House, he didn't have the authority to expel the students.

Dumbledore, however, listened to the story of what happened and said he would not expel them, but rather write a letter to each of their families and leave the punishment to Professor McGonagall.

"Technically, since we broke the rules before school started, you can't take away house points, right?" Nicki angled slyly, able to find a loophole in any rules imaginable.

McGonagall chuckled softly, thinking about how much she had missed her Gryffindor students. "No, Potter, I won't take away house points, but you do all have one detention. Oh, and Weasley, your sister was sorted into Gryffindor. Congratulations."

Ron smiled, full of pride for his baby sister.

"Now, off to bed, the four of you, before I have to take away house points."

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**Chapter four out the door! See you all again in a few weeks.**


	5. Well this Stinks

**Hey y'all! Time for a little chaos at Hogwarts. Ready... Set... GO!**

**Disclaimer: you'd think I wouldn't have to worry about this after four chapters. **

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While the adults lectured and scolded the three students about flying the car to school, their fellow Gryffindors treated Sydney, Nicki, and Ron like heroes. And that excitement was just enough to carry the twins through their next day, which was definitely not so great.

"Good morning, everyone!" the head of Hufflepuff greeted.

"Good morning, Professor Sprout!" replied the students.

"Today we're going to be repotting Mandrakes. Now, can anyone tell me the proper use of the Mandrake root?"

Sydney's hand shot up in the air.

Nicki playfully rolled her eyes at her twin's predictability. _"She doesn't get to study magic all summer and yet she still knows every answer? Go figure." _

"Yes, Miss Potter?"

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is used to return people who have been transfigured or petrified back to their original state," Sydney recited.

Professor Sprout nodded for the young blonde to continue.

"It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor!" the teacher congratulated.

The Gryffindors in the room made small cheers while Sydney beamed proudly.

Draco and his cronies scowled over on the end of the table.

Professor Sprout continued speaking for a few minutes before she instructed the students to put on their earmuffs.

Nicki frowned when she saw that her earmuffs were pink and fluffy. She reached across the table and grabbed Neville's before he could put them on and gave the boy her's instead.

"Now make sure your ears are completely covered. Grasp firmly and PULL!" Professor Sprout yanked her Mandrake right out of its pot.

Everyone covered their ears with their hands, the plant's high-pitched squeal still audible even through the earmuffs.

"Now put it into the other pot and give it just a sprinkling of soil." The students were amazed that the woman was still able to think with that Mandrake screaming in her hand.

Apparrently Neville wasn't as able. The screech went right through his earmuffs and into his brain, causing him to pass out right there in the middle of the greenhouse.

Professor Sprout sighed like she expected it. "Longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs."

"No, ma'am," Seamus responded. "He's just fainted."

"Yes, well, just leave him there," the teacher dismissed nonchalantly. "On we go! Plenty of pots to go around! Grasp your Mandrake and pull up!"

The second year students obeyed and, in return, were rewarded with a chorus of squealing Mandrakes. Ron's was fat, Justin's was scrawny, Sydney's was small, and Nicki's was just plain annoying.

Draco smirked at Crabbe and Goyle as he stuck his finger in his plant's mouth to try and impress Nicki. He attempted to get the girl's attention, but the angry baby Mandrake bit down hard on Draco's finger. Nicki looked his way at that moment and snickered in enjoyment at the sight. Draco, irritated that his idea backfired, slammed his Mandrake into its pot.

*(*(

During lunch that afternoon in the Great Hall, Ron tried to use Spellotape to fix his wand, but did so unsuccessfully.

"Just say it. I'm doomed," Ron whined, glancing at Nicki, who was sitting next to him.

"Dude, you gotta look at the up side," said Nicki, putting her hand on his shoulder, trying to be optimistic. "I mean sure, you have a broken wand, but..." the brunette paused, realizing that there was no up side. "Yeah you're doomed."

"So doomed," Justin added from across the table with an amused look on his face.

"Totally doomed," Sydney agreed, not looking up from the the book she was reading at her seat next to Justin.

"Hi Nicki! Hi Sydney!" exclaimed a young boy before a bright light flashed in the twins' faces, causing Sydney to look up from her studying before she was caught off guard by the blinding camera.

"I'm Colin Creevey! I'm in Gryffindor, too!" the blonde first year said energetically.

"Yeah...hi," Nicki replied unenthusiastically while blinking to fix her vision.

"Nice to meet you," Sydney responded politely, fanning her hands in front of her eyes to get her eyes to stop watering.

"Ron, is that your owl?" asked Dean Thomas, who was sitting on the other side of Justin.

A scratchy echo of an owl sounded throughout the Great Hall as Errol flew in, landing face first in the chips.

Students of all years and houses laughed st the old owl's clumsiness.

"Bloody bird's a menace," Ron muttered in annoyance. He plucked the mail from Errol's mouth before the owl flew off again. His eyes grew wide with fear as he took a good look at the red envelope. "Oh no!"

"Look everyone! Weasley's got himself a howler!" Seamus announced from a few seats down.

The students started snickering again.

"Open it, Ron!" a second year urged.

"I ignored one from my Gram once," Neville warned. "It was horrible!"

Ron gulped. He turned the envelope over and, with quivering fingers, peeled open the golden seal.

"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR!" The howler had turned into a mouth with Mrs. Weasley's yell booming out of it. At top volume. "I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" The howler turned toward Ginny, who was sitting at the end of the table with the rest of the first years, and took on a softer tone. "Oh and Ginny, dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud." Ginny looked down, her cheeks red from the attention. The howler turned back to Ron, stuck its tongue out at him, and then chewed itself to shreds.

The students had long stopped laughing and were now just staring at the terrified redheaded boy.

*(*(

_"Last class of the day,"_ Nicki thought in relief. "_Now if I can just make it through an hour with Mr. Ego, I'm safe." _

But it was easier said than done. Lockhart had decorated his entire classroom with moving pictures of himself.

"Hello class!" the living-Ken-doll said flamboyantly as he stepped out of his office in his golden robes.

Nicki inwardly groaned.

"Let me introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor...me! Gilderoy Lockhart: Order of Merlin, third class; honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League; and five time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile award."

The girls in the class, including Sydney but not Nicki, sighed at the sight of their handsome new teacher.

"But I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her."

The boys and Nicki stared at the man in boredom while the lovestruck girls giggled along with his joke.

"Loser!" Nicki coughed. Luckily Lockhart didn't hear the girl, but plenty of students did. The boys chuckled while Sydney slapped her sister in the arm for making fun of such an accomplished wizard.

But maybe Lockhart did her Nicki's comment, because he then stated, "I see you've all bought a complete set of my books. Well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about, just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in."

Lockhart passed out test scrolls that were long enough to count as another book, let alone a quiz.

"You have thirty minutes - starting...now!"

The students looked down at their papers, most of them groaning.

Nicki couldn't believe these questions. They were all about Lockhart's favorites, ambitions, and achievements. And this nutjob was supposed to help students defend themselves against evil?!

After the quiz time was up, Lockhart sat at his desk flipping through the papers, shaking his head in disappointment. "Tut, tut. Hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti._ And a few of you need to read _Wanderings with Werewolves_ more carefully. I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic people - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!"

Lockhart gave a wink to the dazed girls in the class.

Nicki rolled her eyes as she leaned over to rest her head on her arms on her desk. "_Oh sure! I'll just put that load of fake crap in a box and wrap it up for you!_" she though sarcastically. She had never heard this much bull come out of a person's mouth before, not even when her relatives were kissing up to a client.

"And Miss Sydney Potter was the only one who knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions! Good girl! Full marks and ten points for Gryffindor!"

Sydney blushed in response to the praise.

"Now, be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind. You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm and not scream."

The students stared at the covered cage that Lockhart was reaching for.

"It might provoke them!" He ripped the cloth off the cage to reveal dozens of little blue creatures.

"Cornish Pixies?!" Seamus questioned in disbelief while laughing at the notion that pixies could cause people to scream in terror.

"Freshly caught Cornish Pixies," Lockhart corrected.

Seamus continued to chortle, joined by Neville, Ron, and Justin. Nicki was doing her best to contain her laughter, but one look at her face showed that she was about to burst.

"Laugh if you will, Mister Finnigan, but these pixies can be devilishly tricky little blights."

"Hey Nick," Sydney whispered to the brunette. "Maybe you were a pixie in a past life."

Nicki stuck her tongue out at the blonde, only succeeding in proving Sydney's point even further.

"Now," Lockhart said as he reached for the door of the cage. "Let's see what you make of them." He opened the latch and the pixies flooded out, immediately causing trouble.

Students screeched as they jumped out of or crawled under their desks. The pixies ripped, tore, and tossed Lockhart's books that had been on the students' desks.

A few of the pixies decided to go a step farther and pulled Neville by his ears up to the ceiling and then dropped him. Luckily, Neville didn't plummet to the ground, but he was stuck hanging by his cloak on the chandelier.

"Hey! Get me down!" Neville cried out to the students and teacher below.

"Really, Neville?!" Nicki called up to the boy in between swatting at pixies. "Do you always have to start off the year by getting caught on something high?!"

"Do you think I do this by choice?!" Neville asked rhetorically.

"Don't worry, Neville! We'll get you down as soon as we can!" Justin assured his friend.

"Eek! Get off me!" Sydney shrieked as a pixie pulled at her long hair.

Justin, forgetting about Neville, ran over to save his girlfriend. "Don't move!" he ordered. Justin grabbed his book and hit the pixie with it as hard as he could, causing the pixie to soar across the room.

Nicki, who had been busy trying to get her watch back from a pixie in a game of tug-o-war, looked up to see the hit pixie shoot across the room. "Goal!" she yelled as she threw her arms up in the air in a touchdown position, yanking her watch free by doing so.

Lockhart stood up from where he had been crouching, looking rather frazzled. "_Peskipiksi Pesternomi!_" he recited, flicking his wand back and forth. The spell took no effect, and a pixie took Lockhart's wand.

The armed pixie flew up and zapped the chain holding up a dragon fossil, causing the giant skeleton to come crashing to the ground.

Lockhart scrambled up the stairs, fought over one of his portraits with a pixie, lost, and then turned toward the remaining students and said, "I'll ask you four to just nip to rest of them back into their cage." The moment the words exited his mouth, the "professor" rushed into his office and slammed the door.

"What do we do now?!" Ron questioned in a panicked voice while he, Justin, and the twins continued to ward off pixies with their "schoolbooks".

Sydney threw down her book, whipped out her wand, and yelled at the top of her lungs, "_Immobulus_!"

The pixies froze in the air, only able to blink as they floated midair. The books and papers they had been holding dropped down to the ground like confetti.

Sydney stashed her wand back in her robes, looking pleased with herself.

"Why is it always me?" Neville sighed from his spot on the chandelier.

*(*(

The rest of the week went by in a relatively painless way. The only pain come from the camera flashes between classes. Colin was an even bigger Potter Twins fan than Ginny. Thursday, though, almost ended in blood, but not Colin's.

"Sydney? Nicki? Could I maybe take a picture of you? Just to prove that I met you. Maybe your friend could get a picture of me standing next to you two? And then could you possibly sign it?"

"Signed photos?! You're giving out autographed photos, Potter?!" Draco sneered as he and his groupies joined the conversation.

"Don't make it sound so ridiculous, Malfoy!" Nicki shot back. "You probably have pictures of me in your room. How about my signature to go along with them?"

"Really?" Malfoy inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I can leave my mark on your face. Would you prefer my right fist or my left?" Nicki raised her fists to go along with what she was saying.

Draco scowled as he stormed off, followed by Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy.

"That's right! You better be scared!" Nicki shouted after the Slytherins.

*(*(

Friday afternoon, after all the classes were finished, Oliver Wood tracked down Nicki to tell her of quidditch practice in fifteen minutes. The young seeker had just enough time to change into her gear and meet the rest of the team outside the locker room. Fortunately, nobody from the team had graduated last June, so they still had a full team.

"I spent the summer devising a whole new quidditch program," Oliver informed the athletes. "We'll train earlier, harder, and longer... What?! I don't believe it!"

Oliver shook his head in frustration as he caught sight of the Slytherin team also heading out to the field.

"Where do you think you're going, Flint?" Oliver asked the captain of the Slytherin team.

"Quidditch practice," Flint replied, shrugging his shoulders like the answer was obvious.

"I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today."

"Easy, Wood. I've got a note." Flint held out his hand with a small scroll in it.

Oliver snatched the paper from the deformed Slytherin's fingers.

"Uh oh! I smell trouble," Ron predicted as he, Justin, and Sydney stood up and walked over to defend their house.

"'I, Professor Severus Snape, hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today owing to the need to train their new seeker.' You have a new seeker? Who?"

The Slytherin team, made entirely of boys, stepped to the side, revealing their newest teammate: Draco Malfoy.

Draco smirked as he stepped to the front of his group. "Impressed, Nicole?" he inquired.

"Not even the slightest," the brunette responded through half-lidded eyes, further showing her lack of interest.

The Gryffindor team oohed at the burn. Draco scowled.

"Whoa! Those are Nimbus 2001s! How'd you get those?" Ron gushed over the sleek black and silver brooms in the hands of every Slytherin team member.

"A gift from Draco's father," Flint answered.

"See, Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best," Draco bragged.

Nicki's hand started to curl into a fist, ready to fight to defend her friends.

But Sydney beat her to it. "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in."

"They got in on pure talent!" Justin finished his girlfriend's train of thought.

Draco stepped toward the two of them. He glared at Sydney, but then adressed Justin. "Nobody asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood!"

Justin's strong face faltered, but he tried to keep looking as brave as he could.

"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" Ron retorted, slowly pulling out his wand. "Eat Slugs!" But the spell backfired, sending Ron flying backward into the grass.

Nicki dropped her broom and ran over to the boy, joined by Sydney, Justin, and the entire Gryffindor quidditch team in a matter of seconds.

"Ron! Are you okay, Ron?!" Nicki asked in a concerned tone.

Ron sat up and got onto his knees, looking like he was trying to say something, but didn't.

"Say something!" Sydney urged.

Ron replied by puking up a slug. Those watching made sounds to express their disgust.

Colin Creevey appeared from behind Oliver and one of the Weasley twins.

"Wow! Can you turn it around, Nicki?!"

"No, Colin! Get out of the way!"

"Let's get him down to Hagrid," Sydney suggested. "He'll know what to do."

Justin and Nicki each took one of Ron's arms and together carried him in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Nicki elbowed Draco in the ribs as they passed by the amused team of snakes.

*(*(

Down in the groundskeeper shack, Hagrid gave Ron a bucket to hold his, um, barf.

"Nothin' to do but wait 'til it stops, I'm afraid," Hagrid admitted. "You weren't tryin' ta curse anybody, were ya?"

"Malfoy," Sydney stated. "He called Justin...well I don't really know what it means."

Justin stood up and walked over to the window, his back facing the others. "He called me a mudblood."

Hagrid gasped. "He did not?!"

"What's a mudblood?" Nicki inquired.

"It means 'dirty blood'," Justin answered. "Mudblood's just a foul name for someone who's muggleborn, someone with non-magic parents, someone like me!"

"The thing is, girls," Hagrid said in a soft tone, "there're some wizards, like the Malfoy family, who think they're better than everyone because they're what people call 'pureblood'." Hagrid rolled his eyes at the term.

"That's horrible!" Nicki snapped.

"That's disgusting!" Sydney agreed.

Ron threw up another slug.

"No...that's disgusting," Nicki corrected as she frowned at the gross sight.

"'Dirty blood'," Hagrid scoffed. "Why there isn't a wizard alive today who isn't halfblood or less! I'd like to see a pureblood do a spell that our Justin can't do! Or one that Syd can't do!"

"Hagrid's right, Justin," Sydney said as she stood up and walked over to her boyfriend. "I don't want you thinking on this for a minute! Now come here." Sydney held her arms out for a hug and Justin didn't hesitate.

"Awww!" Hagrid cooed.

"Bleh!" Ron gagged as he vomited another slug.

*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(

**That's chapter 5! Up next, detention with Lockhart. Don't forget to review and I'll write again soon!**


	6. The Writing on the Wall

**Hey y'all! Ready for chapter, um, what is this again? Oh yeah! Chapter 6! My bad. Anyway let's just get it started! PS, I tend to get the quotes and main plot more from the book, but this chapter will come more from the movie. Not that I have something against the ghosts in the story, but I think it'll be slightly funnier putting the girls into the scene from the movie rather than the chapter from the book.**

**Guest: technicalities, but it happened in the movie, trust me I watched that scene to make sure**

**Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling**

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After what felt like hours, Ron finally stopped puking up slugs, and the four kids left Hagrid's hut and headed up to the Great Hall for dinner. Other than Ron, who had understandably lost his appetite, they were all starving, having not eaten since breakfast. But just as they approached the door to the delicious feast, McGonagall stopped them.

"Girls, Weasley," the professor greeted with a curt nod at each of them. "You will be serving your detentions tonight."

"Wh-what will we be doing?" Ron stuttered.

"You, young man, will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mister Filch." Ron started to open his mouth, but McGonagall held up her hand, silencing the boy and cutting him off. "And no, Mister Weasley, you are not allowed to use magic," she added. "Just elbow grease."

The redhead groaned. How was she always able to know what was in his head before it came out his mouth?

"And you ladies will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail."

"Seriously?!" the twins cried simultaneously, Sydney sounding like she had just won the lottery, Nicki like she was being sent to prison for a crime that she didn't commit.

"Yay!" Sydney cheered.

"That's not punishment, that's downright torture! Come on, Professor M, can't I do the trophy room, too?!"

The students could practically see McGonagall's eye twitch in frustration at being called 'Professor M'.

"No! In fact, Potter, Professor Lockhart requested both you and your sister, particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, all three of you."

Nicki sighed in defeat, her shoulders slumped, wondering if going to the Hospital Wing with a fork in her eye so she could skip detention would be less painful than quality time with Lockhart.

*(*(

At exactly five minutes to eight, Sydney was bouncing her way down the corridor of the second floor with Nicki dragging her feet a few yards behind.

Sydney knocked on Lockhart's door at exactly eight. "Oh, come on!" the blonde whispered irritably to her still-far-away twin. After showing no sign of speeding up, Sydney decided to run over, grab Nicki's arm, and yank her to the door just as their teacher opened it.

"Oh, girls, right on time!" Lockhart complimented, flashing them one of his blinding smiles. "Let's get to work then!"

The twins' detention consisted of him signing _Gilderoy Lockhart_ on hundreds of moving pictures of their professor and then the twins sending them off to his fans... which mostly consisted of middle-aged witch housewives who paid more attention to Lockhart than to their own husbands.

Nicki was really tempted to write something sarcastic, something rude, something, well, Nicki-like on the pictures once Lockhart handed them to her, but realized it would probably just lead to more detention with her second worst teacher.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies, can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention than by helping me to answer my fan mail?" Lockhart questioned as he added a flourish to the end of his signature.

"Not one," Sydney answered with a sigh as she gazed at their celebrity.

At the exact same time, Nicki replied by saying, "Was that a rhetorical question?"

"What was that?" Lockhart asked, assuming that he misheard the brunette's response.

"Oh nothing," Nicki said as she looked at him with a one-hundred-percent fake grin, earning one from him, too. "Please kill me," she then mumbled when she lowered her head again.

"Fame is a fickle friend, girls," Lockhart stated. "Celebrity is as celebrity does. Remember that."

Nicki furrowed her brow, trying to decide whether to attempt to understand the advice or whether it was worth the brain cells. Sydney, meanwhile, was nodding vigorously at the attractive professor, grinning like a lovesick puppy.

Suddenly, an icy venom seemed to go through the twins' veins as a whispy voice hissed, "_Come...come to me...come...come to me._.."

"What?" the sisters exclaimed together.

"Sorry?" Lockhart replied as he looked up from his picture.

"That voice!" Sydney murmured.

"Voice?" Lockhart's eyes looked everywhere except for the twins.

"Didn't you hear it?" Nicki inquired.

"What are you talking about, Nicole? I think you're both getting a bit, uh, drowsy." The professor chuckled nervously, obviously wondering whether or not his mini celebs were sane. "And Great Scott, no wonder! Look at the time! You've been here nearly four hours. Spooky how the time flies when one's having fun!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, sir," Sydney beamed, trying to regain her pride.

"That's not the only thing that's spooky," Nicki muttered.

*(*(

"You know, Nick, you really shouldn't have been such a downer in there. He's an incredible man, and a brilliant teacher," Sydney lectured as the two of them walked to Gryffindor Tower. "Perhaps if you actually paid attention, maybe-"

"Shh!" Nicki shushed.

"Nicki! You know it's rude to interrupt a person when they're-"

"Listen!"

Instantly, Sydney understood her sister's behavior. The voice was hissing again, this time in another language that the twins had never heard, but somehow understood.

They picked up the pace as the voice got louder.

"_Kill...kill...kill..." _

"Syd! Nick!" Justin called out as he and Ron approached the girls.

"Did you hear it?" Sydney questioned.

"Hear what?" Ron asked. He and Justin whipped their heads around, looking for whatever it was the sisters were talking about.

"That voice!" Nicki insisted.

"Voice?! What voice?!" Justin responded anxiously.

"We heard it first in Lockhart's office, and then again just-" Sydney stopped when she heard it again.

"It's moving!" Nicki stated. "I think it's going to kill!" The twins raced down the hall.

"Kill?! Kill what?!" Ron cried out before he and Justin ran after them.

The girls kept running until they reached the next hall, which had trails of water leading to...a line of spiders crawling out the window?!

"Strange. I've never seen spiders act like that," Sydney observed.

Once the boys caught up, Ron froze in fear at the sight of the arachnids. "I don't like spiders," he stammered.

"Hold on," Justin announced as he looked into one of the puddles. "What's that?"

In the water, there was a reflection of red writing on the wall.

The four students raised their heads slowly to find a horrific message on the wall of the corridor.

"_The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware,_" Sydney read out loud.

Nicki stepped up and touched one of the words, and then looked at her fingers. "It's written in blood," she said, confirming everyones' fears. She glanced up again. "Oh no."

Hanging by its tail from one of the torch holders was an unmoving grey cat.

"It's Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris!" Sydney gasped as she walked up behind the brunette.

All of a sudden, students of all ages and houses flooded into the passage. The students immediately started gasping and whispering to each other. Colin Creevey was about to take a picture, but Percy put his hand in front of the first year's camera.

"Enemies of the heir, beware?!" Draco scoffed. He turned his focus on Justin. "You'll be next, mudbloods!"

"What's goin' on 'ere?!" Filch called out as he walked around the crowd. "Make way, make way." He stopped to look at Nicki. "Potter? What are you..." His eyes widened at the sight of his frozen pet. "M-Mrs. Norris! You murdered my cat." Filch's voice sounded strangely calm, but the way he said it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"N-no," Nicki denied.

"I'll kill ya." The caretaker grabbed the collar of the girl's robe and yelled, "I'LL KILL YA!" Filch started to reach for Nicki's throat.

"Argus," Dumbledore called out as he and the other teachers entered the hall. "Argus, I-" The headmaster paused a few seconds as he took in the scene. "Everyone may proceed to their dormitories immediately."

The students began to retreat to their dorms, including the first four, before Dumbledore spoke again.

"Everyone except you four," he said, pointing at Nicki, Sydney, Ron, and Justin. The other students hurried out.

Filch looked like he was about to cry.

"She's not dead, Argus," Dumbledore assured. "She has been petrified."

"Ah! Thought so!" Lockhart exclaimed, trying to credit himself. "So unlucky I wasn't there! I know exactly the counter-curse that could have spared her!"

Dumbledore nodded at Lockhart in acknowledgment. "But how she has been petrified...I cannot say."

"Ask 'er!" Filch insisted, jerking his head at Nicki, who replied with an appalled and insulted expression. "It's her tha's done it! You saw what she wrote on the wall!"

"It's not true, sir, I swear!" Nicki defended. "I haven't touched Mrs. Norris this year!"

"Rubbish!" Filch countered.

"Hey, I said this year!" Nicki pointed out, throwing her hands to the side in defense, until she realized that one still had blood on it from checking the wall and shoved her hands in her pocket.

"If I might, Headmaster, perhaps Potter and her friends were simply at wrong place at the wrong time," Snape drawled quietly.

The four kids looked at each other incredulously. Snape was defending them?!

"However," he continued, "the circumstances are suspiscious. For one, I don't recall seeing either Potter at dinner."

"I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus," Lockhart inserted boldly. "See, Sydney and Nicole were helping me answer my fan mail."

"That's why Ron and I went looking for them, Professor," Justin explained timidly. "We'd just found them when they..." Justin stopped, realizing that adding in the part about the voice was not a good idea.

"Yes, Mister Granger?" Snape urged.

"When we were heading back to the common room, and then we found Mrs. Norris."

"Without dinner?" Snape interrogated.

"We weren't hungry," Sydney murmured.

"I sense that Potter is not being entirely truthful, especially since she is hiding behind her friends. It might be a good idea to revoke certain privileges until she is ready to be entirely truthful, such as her position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"

"Really, Severus, I see no reason to keep the girls from playing Quidditch!" McGonagall argued sharply. "This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick! There is no evidence at all that either of the Potters did anything wrong!"

"That's right!" Nicki agreed as she accidentally pointed her red finger at Snape, then hid her hand behind her back.

Snape whipped his head around to Dumbledore, hoping the bearded man would punish them.

Instead, Dumbledore reminded the man, "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

Snape pursed his lips tightly, and anybody could see that he wanted to stamp his foot and whine like a baby.

Nicki smirked smugly and victoriously.

"My cat has been petrified!" Filch complained. "I wanna see some PUNISHMENT!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Dumbledore said soothingly. "As I understand it, Madame Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes."

Sprout stepped up and nodded in confirmation.

"As soon as they reach their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris. In the meantime, I strongly recommend caution...to all."

The four students took that as a dismissal and headed to their tower. Once they were out out of everyone else's earshot, they resumed their conversation.

"Should we have told them about the voice?" Nicki asked.

"Are you mad?!" Ron responded.

"No, Nick. Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't a good sign." Sydney and Justin proceeded in the direction of their dorms, leaving Ron and Nicki behind.

"She's right, you know," a man in the painting next to them agreed.

Nicki sighed and kept walking, Ron following right behind her after momentarily glancing at the picture.

*(*(

For all the students who didn't know what the Chamber of Secrets was, they got their answer a few days later in Transfiguration, thanks to Sydney. But the class didn't start that way...

"I ain't drinking from that glass!" Nicki said in disgust at Ron's attempt to turn Scabbers into a water goblet using his broken wand.

"That wand needs replacing, Mister Weasley," McGonagall instructed.

Ron nodded in obedience and embarassment.

Sydney raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Potter?"

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about...the Chamber of Secrets?" Sydney could not meet her teacher's eyes. Originally, she planned to ask Professor Binns, their History of Magic teacher, but seeing how their Transfiguration teacher had a soft spot for her brightest student, Professor McGonagall would answer more easily.

McGonagall looked up and saw that every student in the room was staring at her, leaving her no choice but to answer the question. "Very well," she surrendered. "Well you all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four brightest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Now three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously, one did not."

"Three guesses who," Ron whispered to Nicki, who snickered in return.

"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted into Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all-magical families; in other words, purebloods."

All eyes fell on the Slytherins, especially on Draco Malfoy.

"Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Well shortly before departing, he sealed it, until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic."

"Muggleborns," Justin inserted.

McGonagall grimly flicked her wand at him in affirmation. "Well, naturally, the school has been searched many times. No such chamber has been found." McGonagall turned and started to return to her podium.

"Professor? What exactly does legend tell us lies within the chamber?" Sydney pressed.

"Well the Chamber is said to be home to something that only the heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be the home...of a monster."

Nicki, Sydney, Ron, and Justin could feel the terror settling in at the news.

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**Up next on Hogwarts tv, why you need to go to med school before you try to fix a broken arm! Review and I'll write again sometime before school starts...I hope.**


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